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No. 6l4,56|. Patented Nov. 22, 1898. W. J. LEWIS, H. PEARCE & C. HOLLIWELL. JUSTIFYING MECHANISM FOR LINOTYPE MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 17, 1898.) t 1.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented Nov. 22, ms. w. .1. LEWIS, H. PEARCE & c. HOLLIWELL. JUSTIFYING MECHANISM FOR LINDTYPE MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar 17, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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NiTEn STATES PATENT FrrcE.

\VARWICK JAMES LEIVIS, HERBERT PEARCE, AND CHARLES IIOLLIIVELL,

OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE MERGENTI-IALER LINC- TYPE COMPA Y, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

JUSTIFYING MECHANISM FOR LlNOTYPE-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 614,561, dated November 22, 1898.

- Application filed March 17, 1898. Serial No. 674,230. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WARWICK JAMES LEWIS, HERBERT PEARCE, and CHARLES I'IOLLIWELL, residing at Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Connected with the J ustifying Mechanism of Linotype-Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exro act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with the justifying t 5 mechanism of linotype-machines. Itis especially applicable to the justifying mechanism of the well-known Mergent-haler linotypemachine, and for that reason its application to it has been selected for illustration and detailed specification. Further information as to the general construction and operation of the said machine is to be found in the specification of Letters Patent of Great Britain dated September 16,1890, and in United States 2 5 Letters Patent of the same date, Nos. 436,531

and 436,532.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the transporter and as much of the adjacent portion of the go machine as concerns the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation from the left side of the machine.

In the Mergenthaler linotype-machine independent or individual matrices Y, each be- 3 5 ing a rectangular plate of metal, and spacebars, each being a double Wedge, are composed into a line by suitable mechanism and transferred to a moving'part of the machine, which part is hereinafter referred to as the 40 transporter N, commonly known in the United States as the first elevator or yoke. This transporter consists of a vertical bar or frame, from the top of which project a pair of parallel horizontal rails N N 5 The matrices hang from and between the latter by their top shoulders yy, which engage in grooves in the respective rails N N the space bars hanging by their shoulders e The transporterN has a reciprocating vertical motion between suitable guides N N These guides are fixed to the lower part of the vise-frame P and to the abutment P, which forms the top of it. This vise-frame P and abutment P with it are held up to the main frame of the machine in the position illustrated by vise-screws p 19 At the moment when the delivery of the composed line of matrices and. space bars into the transporter N has been completed the latter stands in the position illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1 and the dotted lines in Fig. 2. It is then moved downward into the position illustrated by the full lines of Fig. 2, so as to present the said line to the casting mechanism. The only parts of that mechanism included in the drawings are the mold Wheel 0, its bearing o and the mold-block o for the body of the linotype. After the linotype has been cast in the mold-cavity and into and against the line of matrices the transporterNis moved 7o vertically upward to a level higher than that at which it received the composed line to meet the distributing mechanism. The latter is not included in the drawings, because it is not affected by the present invention.

The transporter N is acted on throughout all its motions, as well as while it is standing still, by a cam-and-lever mechanism or by equivalent cam-and-spring devices. In addition to the top shoulders y, projecting from the top corners of each matrix Y, there are two corresponding shoulders (marked 3 in Fig. 2) projecting from the bottom corners. When the transporter N is standing in the casting position in front of the mold-wheel O, (the one illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 2,) all the rear bottom shoulders ythat is, those next to the mold-block 0 stand, under the horizontal shoulder or ridge 0 on the front of the mold, as shown in Fig. 2. 0

The justification of the composed linethat is, to say, its elongation to the precise length required-is effected by thickening each of the space-bars hanging therein. Each of these space-bars consists of a short wedge 5 carrying the pair of shoulders .2 and a long one .2. The two wedges are tapered in opposite directions and have their tapered sides loosely dovetailed together. The long wedges .2 project for some distance below the composed line in the path of a j ustifying-plate p. This plate is pushed vertically upward by suitable means, and as the short wedges are held against upward motion by the engagement of their shoulders 2' .2 in grooves in the rails N N its rise pushes the long wedges .2 over the short wedges up through the composed line, thereby thickening each space-bar and elongating the composed line. Fig. 2 shows that the wedges .2 have been pushed up. During that elongation the matrices Y are pushed laterally, their bottom shoulders 1 rubbing over the rails N N and beneath the ridge 0 but as the meanscam or spring, as the case may beby which the transporter N is raised is exerting its full pushing power in an upward direction during the time that the said transporter N is holding the composed line in the casting position and pulling the matrices upward by their top shoulders y the top front shoulders 1 of the matrices Y bear against the front rail N and the bottom rear ones against the ridge c The strong lifting action of the transporter or yoke N causes a severe friction of the upper matrix-shoulders within the yoke and of the lower matrix-shoulders against the under surface of the shoulder on the mold, so that the lateral movement of the matrices is strongly resisted. This resistance in turn causes strong friction against the sides of the justifying-wedges as they are raised through the line. When j ustification occurs, the friction on the matrix-shoulders and on the justifying-wedges must be overcome. Experience has shown that when the matrix-lines are long and contain a large number of matrices the friction is sometimes so great as to interfere with the justifying action unless an excessive and objectionable upward pressure is applied by the lifting-plate p". The object of the present invention is to reduce the friction on the matrices and spaces during j ustifioation by holding down the transporter or matrix-support N, so as to relieve the upper and lower shoulders of the matrices for the time being of pressure and friction. That ob ject is attained by the following means:

a is a catch hanging downward from the top of the transporterN, to which it is pivoted, and with its nose pointing to the rear.

91 is a spring adapted to keep the catch a pushed to the rear and to permit of its being pushed as far to the front as the present invention requires.

The means by which the transporter N is moved up and down is for the purpose of the present invention adapted to move the transporter a little lower than is absolutely neces sary to enable it to present the composed line properly to the casting mechanism that is to say, alittle lower than the bottom of the downward motion before described. As soon as it has been so moved a little lower the spring a makes the catch a engage under a fixed stop a. Consequently the matrices are practically hanging free from the rails N N and clear of the ridge 0 when the wedgesz" .a" are started upward between them. The bottom edge of the abutment P is utilized as the stop a, above mentioned.

The invention includes a disengager for dis engaging the transporter N at the moment when it must start upward toward the distributing mechanism.

The justifying-plate 1/ above mentioned is worked by two levers. Part of the front end of one of them, 1), appears in Fig. 2. The function of that part is to Work the screw 2) of the vise that holds the composed line cramped lengthwise during the act of casting. The connection between the vise-screw p and the said part of the lever 1) consists of a fork p virtually fast to the screw 1) and projecting from it to the rear, a rod 1'), pivotally connected by its top end to the said fork and having its bottom end expanded into a loop 21 which receives a lateral extension 11 of the leverp and a returnin g-sprin g1), surrounding the rod p and pulling on the top of the loop from a bracket p fast on the main frame of the machine. The last motion of the lever 17 is downward from the position illustrated in Fig. 2, and it consequently pulls the rod 17 against the spring p through a certain arc. The combination of the parts 2), 17 ,19, and 1) just described is as heretofore. It appears in the specification because'the present invention utilizes the downward motion of the fork 1) to actuate the disengager.

The disenga er which we prefer is as follows: '1 r is a finger practically fast to the en d of the rodp and projecting to the front. or is a horizontal rod turning in bearings a at, fast on the front face of the abutment P. It has the disengagingfinger n fast 011 its opposite end. a is afinger fast to the rod a and projecting to the rear. It stands over the finger a. The respective positions of the fork 12 and the fingers a at, and a are as follows: \Vhen the fork p is at rest, the linger it rests upon the finger I167 and the disengaging-finger it stands up just behind the catch a when the latter is engaged with the stop a. The disengager is held in that position by a spring 77, pulling, preferably, on the finger m from a fixed point on the main frame of the machine. The action of it is as follows: The above-described pull on the fork p rocks the finger a up and the finger or forward far enough to disengage the catch a from the stop or, as indi cated by the respective dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereupon the transporter N is moved upward. As soon as the justifying lever above mentioned has completed its downward motion the spring 11 returns the fork p to its normal position, as heretofore, thereby rocking the linger n downward and leaving the fingers a and n to be pulled by the spring a" into the positions illustrated by the respective full lines. The foregoing description of the action of the disengager implies the respective dimensions of the catch 01 and the fingers n n 91 It will be perceived that the present invention has reference solely to machines in which matrices having shoulders at their upper and lower ends are subjected to pressure and friction on these shoulders during the action of the justifying-wedges. A clear distinction is to be drawn between a machine of this class, in which the lifting action of the matrix-support causes the friction on the matrix-ears, and the machine shown in the Mergenthaler United $tates Patent No. 125,140, in which the matrices are provided with shoulders at one end only and in which the elevator is locked down for an entirely different purpose and with an entirely different effect from that claimed herein. In the patent referred to the matrices have shoulders at the upper ends only. They do not engage under the mold. They are alined by their upper instead of their lower shoulders, and the yoke islocked down, as stated in the patent, so that it forces the matrices down to their place with a pressure which is strong, &c., the effect being to increase rather than lessen the friction on the matrix-shoulders during justification.

lVhat we claim as our invention is- 1. In a linotype-machine, the combination of a mold, a matrix transporter or support, matrices having upper shoulders to engage said support and also shoulders to engage the mold, justifying-wedges, and means for locking the support down, to relieve the matrices from friction during justification.

2. As an improvement in Mergenthaler linotype-machines, and in combination with the mold, the matrices shouldered at both ends, justifying-wedges and a matrix-support operating as usual, and means for locking the support down during justification, to relieve the matrices and spacers from friction.

3. In a linotype-machine, the combination of the mold, the transporter or carrier N, matrices shouldered to engage the mold and the transporter, justifying Wedges, means tending to lift the transporter, and means for locking the transporter down momentarily during the rise of the justifying-wedges.

4. In a Mergenthaler linotype-machine and in combination with the mold, the transporter, and the shouldered matrices, an automatic latch to lock the transporter down, and means substantially as described for releasing the latch.

5. In a linotype-machine, the verticallymoving matrix support or transporter, N, a spring-actuated catch a to lock the same down, and a rock-shaft w provided at one end with an arm to disengage the catch and arranged at the opposite end to receive motion from a moving part of the machine.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVARWICK JAMES LEWVIS. HERBERT PEARCE. CHARLES IIOLLIIVELL.

,lVitnesses:

FRANCIS D. J ACKSON, JOHN ALLEN STREET. 

